Electrical ignition firearm, with a forwardly sliding barrel

ABSTRACT

A firearm for electrically firing caseless ammunition having no primer. A switch is actuated by the trigger to permit passage of current from a capacitor to an electrode contacting the ammunition. Elapsed time between trigger pull and firing of the ammunition is decreased as compared to impact ignition firearms. The gun is prevented from firing unless the action is locked in its battery position.

United States Patent Inventors Marcus Ramsay New Haven, Conn.;

Arthur W. Lilley. Pittsburgh. Pa. 857,366

Sept. 12, 1969 May 25, 1971 Olin Corporation App]. No. Filed Patented Assignee ELECTRICAL IGNITION FIREARM, WITH A FORWARDLY SLIDING BARREL 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 42/84 Int. Cl F4 1c 19/12, F4lf 13/08 Field of Search 42/84;

l 56] Relerences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,255,547 6/1966 Gregory, Jr v 42/84 3,505,927 4/1970 Driscoll 89/135 Primary ExaminerBenjamin A Borchelt Assistant Examiner-C. T. Jordan Attorneys--Samuel I'I. Kieser, Donald R. Motsko and William W Jones ABSTRACT: A firearm for electrically firing caseless ammunition having no primer. A switch is actuated by the trigger to permit passage of current from a capacitor to an electrode contacting the ammunition. Elapsed time between trigger pull and firing of the ammunition is decreased as compared to impact ignition firearms. The gun is prevented from firing unless the action is locked in its battery position.

PATENTED HAYZS 12m SHEET 1 OF 2 w- @E my mm .w lllllll II V 1 M J. mmm u w RH u I mum A F .l 1 u H g u 2 a awe w .fio 0 wQoEuwfi f x Q% vmmkmot M ATTORNEY PATENTED HAY25 IHYI SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVENTORS MARCUS RAMSAY ARTHUR W L/LLEY BY a) M12 ATTORNEY ELECTRICAL IGNITION FIREARM, WITH A FORWARDLY SLIDING BARREL This invention concerns an electrically fired gun for use with caseless ammunition having no primer.

Recently the firearms industry has exhibited renewed interest in development of caseless ammunition for use with firearms. One such caseless shotgun type of ammunition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 727,164 to William B. Woodring, filed May 6, 1968. Such interest in caseless ammunition has also spurred efforts to develop firearms for firing the ammunition, since presently available conventional firearms are not capable of utilizing caseless shotgun ammunitron.

The firearm of this invention is particularly useful for firing the general type of caseless ammunition disclosed in the above-noted application to Woodring with the exception that the primer thereof is replaced by a thin coating of electrically conductive material on the rearward face of the propellant charge. By removing the primer and replacing it with an electrically conductive coating, the ammunition can be electrically fired and is also rendered safer and easier to handle due to the absence of the sensitive primer. The electrical shotgun (by way of example) provides a shorter time lapse between the pulling of the trigger and the firing of the ammunition since the sear and hammer are eliminated from the gun, thus eliminating sear travel and hammer fall time. Thus one using the gun of this invention when firing on a moving target, need not lead the target as much as with an impact ignition gun.

The firearrn of this invention is preferably in the form of a shotgun having a bolt which is fixedly mounted in the receiver thereof. The barrel is reciprocally mounted on the receiver, the barrel being slid forward to open the breech to load the gun, and the barrel being slid rearward to close the breech to ready the gun for firing. A lock is disposed on the gun to lock the barrel in its rearward position for firing. Means are provided for manually disabling the lock so that the breech can be opened to load or unload the gun. An electrical switch is mounted in the receiver and is operative, when the trigger is pulled, to close a circuit from a power source to an electrode mounted in the bolt. The trigger is prevented from contacting the switch when the breech is not locked closed so that the gun cannot be fired in this unsafe condition.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a firearm for electrically firing caseless ammunition having no primer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a firearm of the character described which includes a fixed bolt and a movable barrel operative to open and close the breech for loading and unloading.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a firearm of the characterdescribed which includes a firing switch in the receiver to be actuated when the trigger is pulled so as to direct electrical current through an electrode mounted in the bolt.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a firearm of the character described wherein the firearm is prevented from firing unless the breech is locked shut.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a side sectional view of a preferred embodiment of this invention taking the form of a shotgun, the gun being partially shown as it appears when ready for firing with the breech closed and a shell in the chamber;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the barrel slid forward to open the breech for loading or unloading, the trigger block being shown in a position preventing the gun from being fired;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the trigger area of the gun enlarged for greater clarity and showing how the trigger actuates the firing switch; and

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the preferred circuitry for operating the gun of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of this invention in the form of a shotgun is shown. The gun includes a receiver 2 having a bolt assembly 4 fixedly mounted therein. An electrode 6 is mounted in the bolt 4 and extends therethrough with the tip 8 of the electrode 6 protruding from the front surface of the bolt 4. An insulating sheath l0 electrically insulates the electrode 6 from the receiver 2. A barrel 12 is mounted forwardly of the receiver 2, the barrel 12 being longitudinally slidable with respect to the receiver 2. The barrel 12 includes a bore 14 which is enlarged at the rear end thereof to form a firing chamber 16. An oblique shoulder 18 is interposed between the bore 14 and chamber 16. A shell 20 is shown seated in the chamber 16, the rear end of the shell 20 being open and containing a propellant charge 22 which has a rear face coated with an electrically conductive material in contact with the electrode tip 8. The upper rear part of the barrel 12 extends into the receiver 2 and is sandwiched between the receiver 2 and the bolt 4 as at 24. A pair of split, expandable metal rings 26 are fitted between the bolt 4 and barrel 12 to provide a high-pressure gas seal when the gun is fired. The nose 28 of the bolt 4 is undercut to frictionally engage the wall of the propellant-containing portion of the shell 20 so as to provide extraction capability should one desire to unload the gun without firing it. The lower rearward portion of the barrel 12 extends deeply into the receiver 2, as at 30 to provide a tray 32 on which a new shell can be placed when the breech is open (see FIG. 2). A key slot 34 is cut into the undersurface of the potion 30 of the barrel l2, and a key 36 is formed on the adjacent part of the receiver 2, the key 36 and slot 34 cooperating to guide and limit the sliding movement of the barrel 12 with respect to the receiver 2.

A barrel lock 38 is slidably mounted for lateral movement within the receiver 2, the lock 38 extending into a notch 40 in the barrel 12 to lock the latter in its breech-closed position. A lock-actuating lever 42 is pivotally mounted on a pin 44 in the receiver 2, a ball-and-socket joint 46 interconnecting the lever 42 and the lock 38. A spring 48 is seated in a wall 50 in the lever 42 and contacts the receiver 2 to bias the lever 42 in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 44 and thereby urge the lock 38 into the notch 40. A spring guide 52 is mounted on the receiver 2. A threaded post 54 is screwed into a rearward oblique face 56 on the lever 42, the post 54 serving a purpose set forth in greater detail hereinafter.

A tube 58 is mounted on the front end of the receiver 2 and extends forwardly therefrom beneath the barrel 12. A slide 60 is movably mounted on the tube 58 for reciprocation thereover, the slide 60 being secured to the barrel 12 by means of a plurality of screws 62. A forearm 64 is mounted below the barrel l2 and is secured to the slide 60 by means of a screw 66. It is noted that the lever 42 is accessible from the exterior to the shooter by reason of a slot 68 in the trigger plate 70. Thus the shooter need only press upwardly on the protruding portion of the lever 42 to thus lower the lock 38 out of the notch 40, and then grasp the forearm 64 and slide the latter forward away from the receiver 2. This will, by reason of the slide 60 and connecting screws 62 and 66, move the barrel 12 forward to a breech-open position shown in FIG. 2.

A trigger 72 is pivotally mounted on the trigger plate by means of a pin 74. A spring-biased plunger 76 urges the trigger 72 in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 74. A firing switch 78 is mounted on the trigger plate 70, the switch 78 being a basic snap-acting variety, preferably of the type manufactured by the Micro Switch Division of Honeywell which is marketed under the identifying catalogue number lSMl-l. The switch 78 has three contacts 80, 82 and 84 and a plunger pin 86. An actuating bar 88 is pivoted to the trigger 72 by means of a pin 90, the actuating bar 88 extending forwardly from the trigger 72 to a point beneath the plunger pin 86 and beyond. An adjustable pivot tubular housing 92 is threaded through a threaded aperture in the actuating bar 88. The housing 92 extends through the actuating bar 88 and terminates above a conical depression 94 in the trigger plate 70. A

plunger 93 extends downwardly from the housing 93 and is biased downwardly by a spring (not shown) which is mounted in the housing 92 A spring 96 is positioned between the switch 78 and actuator bar 88 to hold the latter in place. An actuator bar blocking member 98 is pivotally mounted on a pin 100 secured to the trigger plate. The blocking member 98 overlies a portion of the actuating bar 88 on the left, and overlies the post 54 on the lever 42 on the right (as viewed in FIG. 1). A spring 102 is mounted on the pin 100 and serves to bias the blocking member 98 in a clockwise direction about the pin 100 as viewed in FIG. 1.

A power source 104 is mounted in the stock 106 of the gun. The power source 104 is preferably an Eveready" No. 416 67.5-volt battery. The battery terminals 108 and 110 are connected to a control box 112 which in turn is connected to the contacts 80 and 84 on the firing switch 78. The control box 112 is also grounded to the receiver 2 at 113. A rocker-type on-off switch 114 is mounted on the control box 112 and is operative to turn power from the battery on and off. The third contact 82 on the firing switch 78 is connected to a safety 1 l6 which is movably mounted on the receiver 2. The safety 116 can be moved into and out of contact with the rear end of the electrode 6 to make or break an electrical circuit therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the mode of operation of the trigger 72 and actuating bar 88 is shown. In FIG. 3 the normal positions of the various elements are shown in solid lines and the positions of the various elements after the trigger is pulled are shown in phantom lines. When the trigger 72 is pulled, the pin 90 moves to the left thus pulling the actuating bar 88 also to the left. The housing 92 is also pulled to the left and the bot tom of the plunger 93 is moved upwardly along the wall of the conical depression 94. This upward movement of the plunger 93 causes the actuator bar-88 to pivot upwardly about the pin 90 and into contact with the plunger pin 86 to depress the latter. This actuates the firing switch 78 to deliver current to the electrode. Adjustment of the housing 92 results in adjustment of the trigger pull, so that a longer or shorter trigger pull can be created in accordance with the shooter's preference. The provision of a spring-biased plunger 93 prevents damage to the depression 94 should the trigger be pulled when the action is not locked in its breech-closed position.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the barrel 12 is slid forward to open the breech, a new shell 20 (shown in phantom) Can be inserted into the gun for chambering. When the breech is subsequently closed, the bolt nose 28 enters the open rear end of the shell 20' and forces the shell into proper position in the chamber 16. When the barrel lock 38 is displaced out of its locking notch 40, the barrel l2 slides forward, the lock 38 is maintained in a downwardly displaced position by the underside of the barrel extension 30. Thus the lever 42 is pivoted about the pin 44 moving the post 54 upwardly against the blocking member 98 to pivot the latter about the pin 100. In this pivoted position the blocking member 98 contacts the actuator bar 88 and prevents the latter from moving upward against the plunger pin 86 should the trigger 72 be accidentally pulled as the barrel 12 is being slid forwardly or rearwardly. Thus the gun cannot be accidentally fired when the breech is not locked closed.

Referring to FIG. 4 preferred circuitry for operating the gun is shown. The control box 112 contains the on-off" switch 114 and a capacitor C. When the switch 114 is turned to on,"

the battery 104 is electrically connected to the capacitor C and its operative to charge the latter. When the safety is off,"

and the firing switch is actuated by pulling the trigger, the charged capacitor becomes electrically connected to the electrode and discharges into the latter. It is noted that the electrode is grounded to the receiver at the tip of the electrode to complete the circuit with the capacitor C. In this manner the gun is fired. It is further noted that when the switch 114 is turned to off," the battery 104 will not be drained of power, thus the battery 104 may be left in the gun when not in use.

It is thus readily apparent that this invention provides a firearm for electrically firing caseless ammunition which is of simple construction, and which features adaptability of trigger pull characteristics. An extra safety feature is provided in that the gun cannot be fired unless the breech is locked closed. By providing a control box mounted on the stock and operative to cut the battery into and out of the firing circuitry in the gun, provision is made to keep the battery from draining when not in use, so that the battery can be kept in the gun even when not in use. The invention therefore provides a safe, quick-fin ing gun which is particularly adapted for firing caseless ammunition.

What we claim is:

1. A firearm for electrically firing a round of ammunition, said firearm comprising:

a. a receiver;

b. a bolt assembly fixedly mounted in said receiver;

c. a barrel slidably mounted on said receiver, said barrel having a portion extending deeply into said receiver, and said barrel being slidably away from said receiver to a breech-open position wherein said portion defines a tray for receiving fresh shells, and said barrel being slidable toward said receiver to a breech-closed position;

d. an electrode mounted in said bolt assembly;

e. firing switch means mounted in said receiver, said firing switch means being electrically connected to said electrode;

f. a source of electrical current mounted in the firearm and electrically connected to said firing switch whereby actuation of said firing switch electrically connects said source of electrical current to said electrode;

g. trigger means, including an actuating bar, mounted on said receiver, said actuating bar being operable, when said trigger means is pulled to actuate said firing switch;

h. locking means operable to lock said barrel in said breechclosed position; and blocking means movable to a position to block said actuating bar from actuating said firing switch only when said locking means is disabled from locking said barrel in said breech-closed position.

2. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising a safety operable to electrically disconnect said firing switch from said electrode to prevent firing of the firearm.

3. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising spring means contacting said locking means to bias the latter toward locking engagement with said barrel.

4. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising spring means connected to said blocking means to bias the latter away from an actuating bar blocking position.

5. A firearm for electrically firing a round of ammunition, said firearm comprising:

a. a receiver;

b. a bolt assembly fixedly mounted in said receiver;

c. a barrel movable mounted on said receiver and movable away from said receiver to a breech-open position and toward said receiver to a breech-closed position;

d. an electrode mounted in said bolt assembly;

e. firing switch means mounted in said receiver and electrically connected to said electrode, actuation of said firing switch being operative to close an electrical circuit with said electrode;

f. trigger means mounted in said receiver, said trigger means being operable to actuate said firing switch means;

g. locking means mounted on the firearm and movable between a position engaging said barrel to lock the latter in said breech-closed position, and a position offset from said barrel to free the latter for movement away from said breech-closed position;

h. blocking means mounted in said receiver and movable between a trigger-blocking position preventing said trigger means from actuating said firing switch, and a trigger-freeing position to permit said trigger means to actuate said firing switch; and g i. lever means pivotally mounted in said receiver and operably connected to said locking means and said blocking means, said lever means being operable to concurrently move said locking means to said offset position and said blocking means to said trigger-blocking position and return, whereby said trigger means can actuate said switch means only when said barrel is locked in said breech-closed position.

6. The firearm of claim 5, wherein said trigger means comprises a trigger; an actuating bar pivotally mounted on said trigger and extending from said trigger to a point adjacent said switch means and beyond; and a pivot pin adjustably mounted on said actuating bar and providing a variable pivot arm which moves said actuating bar to actuate said switch means; said blocking means, when in said trigger-blocking position, contacting said actuating bar to prevent pivoting movement of the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,580,113 Dated May 25, 1971 Inventor(s) Marcus Ramsay and Arthur W. Lilley It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In Column 2, line 29, please delete "potion" and insert --portion--;

In Column 3, line 44, please delete "Can" and insert --can--;

In Column 4, line 18, please delete "slidably" and insert --slidable-;

In Column 4, line 53, please delete "movable" 5 first occurrence, should read movably Signed and sealed this 11th day of April 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETGHER, JR. ROBERT GOT'ISCHALK Attestlng Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM P040550 059) USCOMM-DC wan-Pea US, GOVEINMENT PRINTING OFFICE 'I" 0-366-33 

1. A firearm for electrically firing a round of ammunition, said firearm comprising: a. a receiver; b. a bolt assembly fixedly mounted in said receiver; c. a barrel slidably mounted on said receiver, said barrel having a portion extending deeply into said receiver, and said barrel being slidably away from said receiver to a breech-open position wherein said portion defines a tray for receiving fresh shells, and said barrel being slidable toward said receiver to a breech-closed position; d. an electrode mounted in said bolt assembly; e. firing switch means mounted in said receiver, said firing switch means being electrically connected to said electrode; f. a source of electrical current mounted in the firearm and electrically connected to said firing switch whereby actuation of said firing switch electrically connects said source of electrical current to said electrode; g. trigger means, including an actuating bar, mounted on said receiver, said actuating bar being operable, when said trigger means is pulled to actuate said firing switch; h. locking means operable to lock said barrel in said breechclosed position; and i. blocking means movable to a position to block said actuating bar from actuating said firing switch only when said locking means is disabled from locking said barrel in said breechclosed position.
 2. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising a safety operable to electrically disconnect said firing switch from said electrode to preVent firing of the firearm.
 3. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising spring means contacting said locking means to bias the latter toward locking engagement with said barrel.
 4. The firearm of claim 1, further comprising spring means connected to said blocking means to bias the latter away from an actuating bar blocking position.
 5. A firearm for electrically firing a round of ammunition, said firearm comprising: a. a receiver; b. a bolt assembly fixedly mounted in said receiver; c. a barrel movable mounted on said receiver and movable away from said receiver to a breech-open position and toward said receiver to a breech-closed position; d. an electrode mounted in said bolt assembly; e. firing switch means mounted in said receiver and electrically connected to said electrode, actuation of said firing switch being operative to close an electrical circuit with said electrode; f. trigger means mounted in said receiver, said trigger means being operable to actuate said firing switch means; g. locking means mounted on the firearm and movable between a position engaging said barrel to lock the latter in said breech-closed position, and a position offset from said barrel to free the latter for movement away from said breech-closed position; h. blocking means mounted in said receiver and movable between a trigger-blocking position preventing said trigger means from actuating said firing switch, and a trigger-freeing position to permit said trigger means to actuate said firing switch; and i. lever means pivotally mounted in said receiver and operably connected to said locking means and said blocking means, said lever means being operable to concurrently move said locking means to said offset position and said blocking means to said trigger-blocking position and return, whereby said trigger means can actuate said switch means only when said barrel is locked in said breech-closed position.
 6. The firearm of claim 5, wherein said trigger means comprises a trigger; an actuating bar pivotally mounted on said trigger and extending from said trigger to a point adjacent said switch means and beyond; and a pivot pin adjustably mounted on said actuating bar and providing a variable pivot arm which moves said actuating bar to actuate said switch means; said blocking means, when in said trigger-blocking position, contacting said actuating bar to prevent pivoting movement of the latter.
 7. The firearm of claim 5, further comprising spring means contacting said lever means to bias said locking means toward said barrel-engaging position.
 8. The firearm of claim 5, further comprising spring means contacting said blocking means to urge the latter toward said trigger-freeing position.
 9. The firearm of claim 5, further comprising safety means operable to electrically disconnect said firing switch from said electrode to prevent firing of the firearm. 